A year that changed everything

This past year has been breathtaking.

A previously scheduled weeklong break turned into months of lockdown that is still active in some parts of the world today. Everyone, including myself, had such high hopes for 2020. New year, new people and new opportunities all seemed grand and the breath of fresh air that I needed. Everything was looking up as spring break approached, but coming home on March 6, 2020, marked a day where life as I knew it changed drastically, and not for the better.

News of the coronavirus, commonly known as COVID-19, first broke in the U.S. on Jan. 19, in the state of Washington. About two months later, it appeared in North Carolina, and that’s when the chaos of this virus became a reality.

Once businesses, schools and other public venues started to abruptly close for the “foreseeable future,” it was safe to say my first year at Carolina was presumed to be over.

It was soon that every student in America became enrolled in “Zoom University” with all of my coursework and class meetings now held online. I could not believe that while staying put at home, I was still doing double the work I had previously been accustomed to. Having office hours over the phone and sending countless emails back and forth between different professors was more stressful than going to class and listening to lectures for two or more hours.

What we believed would only be a couple of weeks became our entire summer. I had never been so thrown off with days, weeks and months more than I was at the time. As the days turned to nights and months came and went, I honestly cannot fathom that I sat at home for half a year witnessing a global pandemic take control of the entire world and claim the lives of millions.

Quarantine kept me far away from those I loved and cherished. As a college student, I have faced the challenge of missing that human interaction with my peers because of this pandemic. One distinct feature of college is that we don’t leave campus to go home at the end of a day full of classes. Campus is our home. It has our dorms, our dining halls, our gyms, libraries, hospitals and whatever other facilities and necessities we need on a daily basis. A tight-knit bond is created that brings our community closer together in a way that can’t be experienced when we’re far apart from campus.

While I was missing life pre-COVID, I was also reflecting on life pre-COVID. I found the joy of journaling through these turbulent times and writing down all my thoughts and emotions in certain moments. It proved to be relaxing, refreshing and filled a void that had been created since the start of the pandemic. It was rewarding to have an outlet that allowed me to express myself and release pent-up frustration I didn’t even realize I was holding in.

To say that 2020 and the ongoing pandemic changed everything would be an understatement. The year shifted the way I speak, think and interact with everything and everyone.

But surprisingly, it has brought me closer to people, even from a distance. The appreciation I feel for all the people who put their lives on the line during this ongoing pandemic is unfathomable. The frontline and essential workers are truly a gift from God.

Reflecting on 2020 has truly humbled me to better appreciate who and what I have rather than focus on what I don’t. I am very blessed and grateful to have life, health and strength as we hit the one-year anniversary of this deadly virus.

While 2021 is still full of uncertainty, I am positive that the stress of last year will push us all to be the best we can be and never take anything given in life for granted.